Check this article in the Daily News about a Barred Owl seen in the 30th Ave area in Longview WA.

Also, some locations in Washington and Oregon have reported sightings of snowy owls, which are rarely seen locally.

"Every few years the conditions in the Arctic force some of the owls southward to find adequate food," said local birder and Willapa Hills Audubon Society member Darrel Whipple of Rainier, Oregon.

"At any rate, northwest birdwatchers are excited to see these magnificent birds whenever an irruption occurs. About 25 years ago one of our WHAS members had a Snowy Owl perch on her rooftop in Longview and stay in the neighborhood for a week, creating quite a sensation for the neighbors and local birders."

According to a recent article in the Seattle Times the present record for most birds seen in Washington State is held by Gene Hunn at 442 out of 505 species known in the state. There are thousands of birdwatchers in the state, but only a relative handful keep serious bird lists. Living up to the excitement in the recent film "The Big Year," bird listing exists for Washington State too.

The record stands at 359th avian species witnessed in the state in 2001 by Marv Breece, of Seattle, and the record is still holding up.

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is citizen-science at its best. You can help with this effort, whether you have ever gone bird watching or not. You will have the opportunity to meet new people with interests in birds, or spend time with friends from previous years. Observant eyes are needed for that day: the more the better. You can point out where you see birds and experts in your group can do the identifying; if you do know some of the birds in your area, so much the better. This is your chance to help collect the information which will direct decisions in the future, decisions which will affect how much natural beauty, including birds, remains for future generations.

Bring your binoculars if you have some, boots, warm clothes and a lunch, and join us for a day outside, looking closely at some of Nature's most interesting creatures, sharing the day with people who have similar interests.

It is unusual for ducks to have ducklings this time of year as well as for them to survive the raccoons which inhabit the lake area. There are perhaps a dozen eggs and 4 or 5 hatchlings as of October 12th. As of October 26th, three ducklings were still observed with their mother, who appears to be a feral domesticated duck.

Upon learning that 3,000 Vaux's Swifts were observed at Chapman School in Portland the other night, Darrel Whipple decided to check out Carpet One in Rainier. Result was Carpet One - 0, Rainier's Old Hall (Big Green) - 82. The migrating swifts are dropping into the tallest chimney in Big Green (the northwest corner, behind City Hall). Some were observed there during the northward migration in May,